World War II Honoree

Stanley Tanner Wray

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Muncie, Indiana

Honored By

Stanley Tanner Wray III

Relationship

Grandson

129TH BOMB GROUP, WHICH WAS AN EXPANDING UNIT. HE SERVED IN EACH OF THE 3 BOMB SQUADRONS AND COMMANDED THE HEADQUARTERS SQUADRON BEFORE HE WAS APPOINTED EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE 92ND BOMB GROUP, WHICH WAS FORMED BY SPLITTING THE 29TH. MAY 15, 1942, WAS APPOINTED THE COMMANDER OF THE 91ST BOMB GROUP AT MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE AND BEGAN RECEIVING PILOTS AND GROUND PERSONNEL THE FOLLOWING DAY. FORMED THE 91ST BOMB GROUP THEN TRAINED IT THROUGH ITS 3 STAGES OF COMBAT TRAINING, WITH THE 2ND STAGE AT WALLA WALLA, WASHINGTON AND THE 3RD AT BANGOR, MAINE. LED THE 1ST ELEMENT OF HIS GROUP TO ENGLAND, SEPTEMBER 1942, LANDING AT KIMBOLTON, BEDFORDSHIRE. OCTOBER, THE GROUP WAS MOVED TO BASSINGBOURNE, A PERMANENT ROYAL AIR FORCE STATION, WHERE THE FINAL SQUADRON OF THE 91ST, INCLUDING THE B-17 KNOWN AS THE MEMPHIS BELLE, ARRIVED IN OCTOBER. COMMANDED THE GROUP TO MAY 1943. EARNED THE SILVER STAR, THE AIR MEDAL WITH OAK LEAF CLUSTER, THE PURPLE HEART, NUMEROUS COMMENDATIONS AND, AS THE LEADER OF THE FAMOUS LOW LEVEL RAID OVER ST. NAZAIRE IN B-17 AIRCRAFT, WAS AWARDED THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE. MAY TO AUGUST, COMMANDED THE 103RD COMBAT WING AND TRAINED IT FOR ITS EARLY MISSIONS OVER THE CONTINENT. AUGUST 1943, REPORTED TO HEADQUARTERS 8TH BOMBER COMMAND WHERE HIS EXPERIENCE WAS PUT ON PAPER AS 'TACTICS AND TECHNIQUES OF HEAVY BOMBERS.' SEPTEMBER 1943, RETURNED TO THE U.S. WHERE HE BECAME CHIEF OF THE OFFICERS BRANCH, MILITARY PERSONNEL DIVISION, HEADQUARTERS ARMY AIR FORCE. FEBRUARY 1946, REPORTED TO FORT LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS, WHERE HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE 2ND COMMAND CLASS TO AUGUST 1, WHEN HE RETURNED TO HEADQUARTERS U.S. AIR FORCE. JANUARY 1947, WAS ASSIGNED TO HEADQUARTERS U.S. AIR FORCES IN EUROPE AS THE DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL. JANUARY 1948, BECAME THE CHIEF OF OPERATIONS AND TRAINING IN THE DIRECTORATE OF OPERATIONS, U.S. AIR FORCES IN EUROPE, AND AS SUCH COMMANDED THE CYPRUS AIR TASK FORCE IN 1948 AND IN JULY FORMED THE 3RD AIR DIVISION, PROVISIONAL, WHICH RECEIVED THE 1ST B-29 GROUPS IN ENGLAND AND BECAME THE 3RD AIR FORCE. SEPTEMBER, RETURNED TO GERMANY WHERE HE BECAME DEPUTY COMMANDER OF THE 61ST TROOP CARRIER WING AT RHEIN MAIN AIR BASE. NOVEMBER, THE 61ST AND THE 513TH WERE COMBINED INTO THE 7497TH AIRLIFT WING, WAS APPOINTED THE COMMANDER. LED THE 7497TH THROUGHOUT THE AIRLIFT UNTIL IT WAS DISBANDED, AUGUST 1949. FOR HIS LEADERSHIP IN THIS PERIOD, HE WAS AWARDED AN OAK LEAF CLUSTER TO THE LEGION OF MERIT WHICH HAD BEEN PRESENTED FOR HIS WORK ON THE AIR STAFF IN 1945.